Sir Brook Fossbrooke, Volume I.

and discussing the arrangements for the evening. Their quarter was that pleasant city of Dublin, which, bating cert

ll in Merrion Square?" asked on

t to come off. It seems that the lady's husband is a judge.

world being called away. The man is dangerously ill. He was seized

h vacancies, the men went up by seniority at the bar, or whether

The old cove has talked pretty nigh of everything in this world duri

hat is he?" a

im Sir Brook Fossbroo

the Major, "that he was the fastes

of that brilliant period," said another. "I n

l smoothing-iron, with a coat-of-

, except in speaking, almost cruel in expression, and a thin-pointed projecting chin, gave an air of severity and strong will to features which, when he conversed, displayed a look of courteous deference, and that peculiar desire to please that we associate with a bygone school of breeding. He was one of th

ut him of narrow fortune: his scrupulously white shirt was not fin

nt for the man we want, Fossbrooke. I'm not a fisherman myself; but they tell me he knows every la

don't disturb

ook Fossbrooke,-as enthusiastic an angler as yourself. He has the ambition to hook a

howed activity had not been sacrificed to mere power. He had a fine, frank, handsome face, blue-eyed and bold-looking; and as he stood to

is error during two years in the Life Guards, had been sent to do the double penance of an infantry regiment and an Irish station; two inflictions which, it was believed, would have sufficed to calm down the ardor of the most impassioned spendthrift. He looked at Fossbrooke from head to foot. It was not exactly the stamp of man he would have selected fo

you want two days'

nother will be lost in exploring; all these late rains have sent

you a five-pound note that if you come back without a rise he 'll have an exp

d Sir Brook, bowing. "The gentleman has alrea

all displeased at the compliment. "A

cts; but when I have an early start b

And there's Aubrey quite ready to jo

vice. I play

m, what they say of him at Grahams? Trafford, my boy, you may possibly give h

ders to have my tax-cart ready for us by daybreak," said Trafford; and, Fossbrooke p

ting up all night as you used to

bacco. I avoid mulled port, and take weak brandy-and-water; and I believe in all oth

for myself. You are talkin

es wider, makes a man more accessible to other men, and keeps him from dwelling too m

recovery. This is a fine lad; a little wild, a little careless of money, but the very soul of honor and

d a man of honor. When dissipations do not degrade and excess

, Fossbrooke," said

meet his father's son; we were at Christ Church together; and now I see he

man?" asked the Colo

' they call them, who take your keys to the Custom-house to have your luggage examined; and when he came to ask me to employ him, I said, "'What! ain't you Jemmy Harper?' 'And who the devil are you?' said he. 'Fossbrooke,' said I. 'Not "Wa

ad brought

live; but Jemmy told us he never had such an appetite as now; that he passed from fourteen to sixteen hours a day on the pier in all weathers; and as to go

r up under such reverses

onotony of well-being, getting fatter, older, and more unwieldy, and with

r theory," said th

myself, I can aver I have thoroughly enjoyed my intercourse with the world

being bored or wearied,-sick of this, tired of that; here's my friend, who knows the whole thing better than any of us, and he declares that the world is th

her, when people talked of it as a journey. Captain Harris, I 'm sure I am not wrong in saying you are the son of Godfrey Harris, of Harrisburg. Your father was my friend on the day I wounded Lord Ecclesmore. I see four or five others too,-so like old companions th

most defiant bearing of the old man, vouching for great energy and dignity together, won greatly upon the young men, and they gathered around him. He was,

hird he, I might say, gave away in acts of benevolence and kindness,-leaving himself so ill off that I actually heard the other day that some friend had asked for the place of barrack-master at Athlone for him; but

your name, and thought I 'd ask you to give me my dinner to-day.' I owe him a great many,-not to say innumerable other attentions; and his last act on leaving Trincomalee was to present me with an Arab charger, the most perfect animal I ever mounted. It is therefore a real pleasure to me to receive him. He is a thoroughly fine-hearted fellow, and, with all his eccentricities, one of the noblest natures I ever met. The only flaw in his frankness is as to his age; nobody has ever been able to get it from him. You heard him talk of your fathers,-he might talk of your grandfathers; and he would, too, if we had only the opportunity to lead him on to it. I

the others would as willingly have accepted, for the old man ha